Project Jivika: ESL Steel Strengthens Women-Led Producer Company with Stakeholder Workshop

Bokaro: In a step towards strengthening women’s entrepreneurship and rural livelihoods, ESL Steel Limited organised a stakeholder workshop under its flagship CSR initiative, Project Jivika, for members of Jivika Srijan Shakti Producer Company Limited (OFPO) at the ESL Skill School in Bokaro.

The workshop brought together 31 women members of the producer company and representatives from key government departments and development institutions to enhance awareness about government schemes, financial assistance, institutional support, skill development and market opportunities for women-led enterprises.

Officials participating in the programme included Anand Raj (BPM, JSLPS-Chas), Kishore Kumar Rajak (District Coordinator, DIC), Anand Kumar (RSETI), Narendra Kumar (Block Coordinator, DIC-Chandankiyari) and Rampad Rabidas (Zila Parishad Representative). They were joined by ESL CSR coordinators Ved Prakash Singh (Project WADI), Shivjee Kumar (ESL Skill School), Kameshwar Goswami (Project Aarogya), along with members of the company’s CSR team.

The session opened with an overview of Project Jivika and the producer company’s future roadmap. Resource persons highlighted entrepreneurship development, government welfare schemes, access to finance, value addition, branding, marketing and business expansion strategies. Participants also interacted with successful rural women entrepreneurs from Jharkhand, gaining practical insights into building sustainable enterprises.

Speakers stressed the importance of producer-owned institutions, collective entrepreneurship and market-driven production, encouraging members to make full use of government support mechanisms to improve business growth and market access.

The workshop concluded with an address by Basanti Devi, CEO of Jivika Srijan Shakti Producer Company Limited, followed by an interactive discussion where members shared challenges, explored opportunities and discussed future business plans.

Speaking on the initiative, Ravish Sharma, CEO and Whole-Time Director, ESL Steel Limited, said empowering women through entrepreneurship creates lasting social and economic impact. He said ESL Steel is committed to connecting women entrepreneurs with government institutions, knowledge networks, markets and financial opportunities so that they can build self-reliant and sustainable enterprises through Project Jivika.

According to the company, the workshop helped strengthen institutional partnerships, improve awareness of support systems and equip women entrepreneurs with the knowledge and confidence needed to expand their businesses, reinforcing ESL Steel’s commitment to inclusive rural development and sustainable livelihood creation.